Street-sprinkler valve.



No. 709,960. v

.M. a. BUNVNELL.

Patented Sept. 30, I902.

STREET SPRINKLER VALVE.

(Application filed Sept. 9, 1901.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E.

MORTON e. BUNNELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO F. C. AUSTIN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION.

STREET-SPRINKLER VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming'part'of Iletters Patent No. 709,960, dated September 30, 1902.

' Application filed September 9, 1901. SerialNo. 74,797. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MORTON G. BUNNELL, a citizen of the United'States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and

State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Street-Sprinkler Valves, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to valve devices for to controlling the discharge of water from streetsprinklers, and has for its object the provision of a valve of this character adapted to effect a uniform distribution of water upon the surface of a street and to preserve and I5 maintain such uniformity of distribution re-' gardless of the volume of the discharge.

To the foregoing and other useful ends I provide the valve device or sprinkler-head with'a discharge slot or opening having relazo tively wide and narrow portions adapted to cause the Water to escape in the form a sheet having relatively thick and thin portions. The said relatively wide and narrow portions of the discharge slot or opening are so proportioned and arranged that the relatively thick and thin portions of the sheet or spray of water will effect a uniform or even distribution of the water upon the surface of the street. Furthermore, the said discharge slot or opening is controlled in such manner as to permit of variations in the volume of the discharge without varying the relative proportions of the relatively thick and thin portions of the sheet of Water. In this way the valve de- 5 vice is adapted to control the discharge of water from the sprinkler insuch manner as to prevent an uneven distribution of the water upon the street and as to preserve or maintain the uniformity or even distribution or the water regardless of the volume of the discharge. In other words, I provide a sprinkler-head preferably adapted to discharge the water in the form of a spray or sheet and constructed in such manner as to vary the discharge without varying the relative proportions of the relatively thick and thin portions of said sheet or spray.

The construction andoperation of my invention will, however, hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a sprinkler head or valve device for street-sprinklers, Said device involving the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the portion of said den vice provided with the dischargeslot. Fig. 3 is an end viewof the sprinkler-head with the cap or controlling-valve removed. Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the sprinkler head or valve device on line X Xin Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a view of the end of the cap or controlling-valve which engages the open end of the sprinkler head or body. Fig.6 is a longitudinal section through the sprinkler head or valve device shown in Fig. 1. Figs. .7 and Sara diagrammatic views illustrating the principle of the discharge slot or opening and showing the manner in which the relatively wide and narrow portions of the said slot can be opened and closed without vary- 7o ing the relative proportions of said wide and narrow portions. Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the manner in which the valve is employed for distributing water upon the surface of the street.

As thus illustrated, my invention consists of a sprinkler head or valve device. comprising a body portion A and a cap or controlling valve B. It will be understood that the water is conducted to the head or valve device by way of the pipe or tube C. It will also be understood that when employed in connection with a. street-sprinklerthe said sprinkler head or valve device is suitably located and arrangedfor discharging the water upon the street in the usual well-known manner. The

5 said body portion has its upper wall preferably flattened and provided externally with a dovetail groove a. It is also preferable that this wall be tilted or inclined toone side, as shown in Figs. 3and 4. The rear end of this body portion is open, and thedischarge of water from this open end is controlled by the cap or controlling-valve B. This cap or valve is therefore adapted to engage the end por- 5 tion of said body to form a tight joint when closed. Said cap preferably comprises a portion b, provided with a dovetail rib b, and it will also be observed that this cap is provided with the round or disk-like end portion b In addition to these portions the cap is provided with a part 11 preferably made of rubber or like material and secured to the inner face of the cap in such manner as to readily engage the open end of the body A. Referring to Fig. 6, it will be seen that this rubber block or cap portion 11 can be secured to the end of the cap by means of a bolt 1). The dovetail rib b is adapted to engage the dovetail groove a in the body portion A. \Vith this arrangement the cap or controlling-valve is adapted for longitudinal reciprocation in such manner as to open and close the open end of the sprinkler-head body A. Any suitable means can be employed for causing said cap or controlling-valve to slide or reciprocate, so as to open or close the discharge-opening. For example, a rod D can be suitably secured to the cap and connected with a suitable device for causing it to reciprocate, and thereby slide the cap forward or back, according to whether it is desired to open or close the dischargeopening. The said dischargeopening is, as previously stated, preferably in the form of a slot having relatively wide and narrow portions adapted to cause water to escape in the form of a sheet having relatively thick and thin portions. The discharge-opening is therefore preferably in the form of a slot extending circumferentially around the bottom and sides of the sprinkler-head and formed by the meeting edges of the cap B and sprinkler-head A. Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that this slot or joint between the cap and body starts at l and extends thence downwardly in a curve to the bottom of the head and thence upwardly in a reverse curve to the end of the slot 2. Viewed from the bottom, as shown in Fig. 2, this slot is therefore in the form of a compound curve. WVith this formation it will be seen that the side portions of the discharge-slot are substantially trans-- verse, while the bottom portion is more or less longitudinal in character. It willalso be seen that the upper portion of the slot near 1, as shown in Fig. l, is curved forward and is therefore also more or less longitudinal in character. Thus formed the slot extends circumferentially along an irregular line, whereby it has portions which are transverse and other portions which are more or less longitudinal. With this formation it will be readily seen that when the cap or controlling-valve is opened the discharge slot or opening will have relatively wide and narrow portions, the wide portions being located at the transverse portions of the slot, while the relatively narrow portions are located at the point or points where the slot is more or less longitudinal in character. This can be readily understood by referring to Figs. '7 and 8, which are diagrammatic views illustrating the principles of my improved discharge-opening. In Fig. 9 the discharge-opening is indicated by the irregular line X, extending across a flat surface. In Fig. 8 the two portions of the fiat surface are shown drawn apart, so as to cause the discharge-slot to open. In these two views the starting-point of the slot is shown at 1, the end of the slot at 2, and the bottom or lowermost point of the discharge-opening at 3. \Vhen the two portions are drawn apart, as shown in Fig. 8, it will be seen that the maximum discharge will take place at 4 and the minimum discharge at 3. The discharge at 2 is greater than at 3, but preferably less than at 4. It will also be seen that the discharge at 1 is less than at 4. As stated, the discharge is greater at 4 than at 3,for the reason that the slot at 4 is substantially transverse, while the slot at 3 is more or less longitudinal in character-that is to say, at 4 the meeting edges move directly apart, while at 3 they have a more or less sliding movement. In this waythat is to say, by extending the discharge-slot in an irregular circumferential linea discharge-opening is provided having relatively wide and narrow portions, and, furthermore, it will be seen that the relative proportions of these wide and narrow portions are maintained regardless of the extent to which the cap or controlling-valve is opened. In other words, the proportion between the maximum discharge at 4 and the minimum discharge at 3 is maintained whether the valve is opened only slightly or to its full extent. In this way the valve device causes the water to escape in the form of a sheet having relatively thick and thin portions which eifect a uniform distribution of the water upon the surface of a street. This uniformity or evenness of distribution of wateris maintained with a varying volume of water. In other Words, the

volume of the discharge can be varied without varying the relative proportions of the thick and thin portions of the sheet of water and without danger of causing an uneven distribution of the water upon the street.

With my improved sprinkler head or valve device all portions'of a street are sprinkled alike, and there is therefore no danger of certain strips or portions of a street being flooded while other strips or portions are left comparatively dry. The formation of a slot or discharge-opening, as shown, is adapted to secure the desired result; but itis obvious that this slot or opening can be curved in various directions without departing from the spirit of my invention and without altering the character of the discharge-that is to say, with respect to the even or uniform distribution of water secured by a discharge-opening having relatively wide and narrow portions. The trend or curvature of the line along which the discharge-slot is formed can be varied according to conditions, the size of the valve and sprinkler-head, and in accordance with the results desired and the particular work to be performed.

In Fig. 9, which is more or less diagrammatic in character, it will be seen that the spray or sheet of water discharged from the slot or opening in the head extends farther to one side than to the other, owing to the fact that the said slot or opening extends farther to one side of the head than the other. This has respect to the well-known practice of employing sprinkler-heads in pairs. In such case the two heads are arranged in such of discharge 2 is on the inside.

manner that the discharge-openings will have their points of maximum discharge on the outside-that is to say, that the greater portion of the spray or sheet ofwater will be thrown laterally at each side of the sprinkler. For this reason the point of maximum discharge 4 (shown in Fig. 1) may be regarded as the outer side of the slot, while the point With two sprinkler-heads such as shown the points of discharge 2 will face each other.

In Fig. 9 the ground-line is shown, and from X to Y the distribution of water by the sprinkler-head will be of an even and uniform character. The point of minimum discharge is at Z, while the point of maximum discharge is at Z. It will be understood that in this figure, Z corresponds to3 of Figs. 1, 2, 7, and 8 and that Z corresponds to 4 of the same figures. From Z to the inner terminal of the slot the volume of the discharge increases, as previously explained, and' from the point of maximum discharge Z to the outer and upper terminal of the dischargeslot the volume of the discharge decreases. In this Way the water is evenly distributed between X and Y and there is nopossibility of certain strips of the street being flooded while other portions are only slightly sprinkled. The cap and body portion of the sprinkler-head formed by these two members are provided with opposing or meeting surfaces which are correspondingly beveled, as will be observed, at different angles, so as to provide a discharge-slot having relatively wide and narrow portions which retain their relative proportions when the cap is adjusted for the purpose of varying the volume of the discharge.

The construction and details of my improved sprinkler-head can be modified or varied without departing from the spirit of my invention. For this reason I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown and described. Broadly considered, my invention contemplates a valved sprinkler-head provided with a discharge slot or opening adapted to effect a uniform distribution of the water upon the surface of a street and to discharge the water in the form of a sheet or spray having relatively thick and thin portions, and, further, adapted to vary the volume of the discharge without varying or changing the relative proportions of said relatively thick and thin portions of the sheet or spray.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. Astreet-sprinkler valve comprising relatively adjustable valve members adapted to separate or draw apart and provide a discharge opening or slot having relatively wide and narrow portions which cause the water to discharge in the form of a spray or sheet having relatively thick and thin portions and adapted to vary the size of said dischargeslot and at the same time maintain the relative proportions of the said relatively wide and narrow portions of the slot and thereby vary the volume of the discharge without changing or varying the relative proportions of said relatively thick and thin portions of the sheet or spray.

2. A street-sprinkler valve comprising relatively adjustable members, the space between said members when drawn apart forming a discharge opening or slot,said discharge opening or slot having relatively wide and narrow portions, so'as to permit the water to escape in the form of a sheet or spray having relatively thick and thin portions, the relatively wide portion or portions'of the slot or opening being practically or substantially transverse to the direction of said relative adjustment, and the relatively narrow portion or portions of said slot or discharge-opening being more or less oblique to the direction of said relative adjustment, so as to permit the discharge slotoropening to be opened and closed and the volume of the discharge varied without varying the relative proportions of the said relatively wide and narrow portions of the slot or discharge-opening.

3 A street-sprinkler valve comprising a cylindric head comprising two relatively adjustable members, the space between said members when drawn apart forming a circumferentially-extending discharge opening or slot, the two members having a relative formation adapted to provide said slot or discharge-opening with relatively wide and narrow portions, the relatively narrow portions of the discharge slot or opening being more or less oblique to the direction of said relative adjustment, so as to permit the slot or opening to be opened or closed and the volume of discharge varied without varying the relative proportions of the said relatively wide and narrow portions of the slot or opening.

4. A street-sprinkler valve comprising a cylindric, or substantially cylindric body portion, a cap fitted to slide upon said body portion and close the latters open end, the discharge slot or opening formed by the joint or meeting surfaces of the cap and body portion being formed along a circumferentially-extending line which is curved or irregular, the curvature or irregularity of the line along which the discharge slot or opening is formed causingthe latter to have relatively wide and narrow portions, the relatively wide portions of said slot or opening extending practically or substantially crosswise of the sprinklerhead formed by the said cap and body portion, and the relatively narrow portions of the discharge slot or opening being more or less oblique to the length of said head, whereby the said relatively wide and narrow portions of the slot or opening retain their relative proportions when the said cap is adjusted for the purpose of varying the volume of discharge.

MORTON G. BUNNELL.

Witnesses:

HERBERT F. OBERGFELL, MAX W. ZABEL. 

